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Concert Will Interweave Music and Testimony to Trace German-Jewish Family’s Assimilation

MAHWAH, N.J. – Carolyn Enger, an international acclaimed concert pianist, will present her ambitious multimedia concert experience, The Mischlinge Exposé, which premieres a new work written by the acclaimed composer Bruce Adolphe especially for this project on Wednesday, October 18 at 7 p.m. The program will be held at Ramapo College in the York Room of the Birch Mansion under the auspices of the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The program is free and open to the public.

The Mischlinge Exposé is a many-layered multimedia performance centering on Carolyn Enger’s family’s history and personal experience with Judaism. The program features the music of German-Jewish-born composers Felix Mendelssohn, Arnold Schoenberg, Alexander Zemlinsky and Hanns Eisler. The works contextualize video and audio testimony of Ms. Enger’s father, Horace J. Enger, and her godmother, Rosemarie Steinfeld, who experienced Germany after the Nuremberg Laws were passed (both were labeled “Mischling, Grade A,” by the Nazis). Through the lens of historical context and the artistic and poetic testimony of prominent converts, the performance traces her family story of conversion from Judaism to Christianity and back to Judaism.

Carolyn Enger has gained critical acclaim for her lyrical and dynamic playing, her deeply felt interpretations of works from Beethoven and Schubert to contemporary music, and her warm personal approach. In addition to an active performance schedule, Ms. Enger has enjoyed remarkable success as a recording artist, particularly with her 2013 release of piano music by Ned Rorem on Naxos Records. Renowned critic Laurence Vittes wrote in his review for Gramophone (2/2014): “Enger raises the miniatures to a higher level by taking the time and care to capture the emotional impact each must have had when their dedicatees read their inscription and title, and then heard the music for the first time.”

An active recitalist with engagements throughout the United States and beyond, Ms. Enger has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, The National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Design Museum, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Nantucket Musical Arts Society, The Kosciuszko Foundation, and the Tenri Cultural Institute.

For information or to request disability-related accommodations, please contact holgen@ramapo.edu or call 201-684-7409.

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Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state's premier public liberal arts college. Ranked among the top colleges in the region by College Choice and recognized by, among others, U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, Colleges of Distinction and, also designated by Victory Media as a "Military Friendly College," Ramapo College is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding.

Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor's degrees in the arts, business, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Educational Technology, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education.